Rest

A time for REST. This is what I have heard the Lord say over and over again for the past few months. It was as if He was standing beside me screaming it in my ear so that it would sink into my heart. So, we listened. This past month has been just that; a lot of R&R for our family on the weekends. The last day of August our beautiful church closed her doors. After much prayer our Pastors decided it was time to go our separate ways. Its been devastating in many regards, peaceful in others. This faith family have been through a lot together and was so very close. Yet, the Lord said it's time to separate. Part of me totally understood the Lords direction, part of me doesn't. However, after our last Sunday together weeping, praying, praising Jesus and one last big lunch together, our family decided to rest. We have been to the beach, to the lake, and just hanging out together for the month of September. It has been so fulfilling to just BE family. To love and play with our children. The REST has been so very needed and good. So, now its time to find a new church family. I pray the Lord will place us just where He wants us. I pray that we will be restored and renewed. I pray that He will take our past and use it to shape our future in church, ministry, and as a family. So,here we go. Lord, lead us, guide us, give us direction. We love you and trust you heavenly Father.

A New Beginning : A Classical Christian Community

We started here:




And ended here:



This book was recommended for me to read the first year we began our homeschooling adventure with Britton.He was 5 at the time, going into Kindergarten. I read it, took a few gems from it, but for the most part was overwhelmed. I remember thinking, I'm not smart enough to train my child's mind in that way. So, we started out learning to read and write with a wonderful resource: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We loved that book and still use it to this day to teach our children how to read. We then moved on to your typical boxed curriculum. It really did not work out for us. After 1st grade I was really struggling. I felt like we were behind and not progressing well. So, Keith and I began praying and were lead back to The Well Trained Mind. We read it together and felt the Lord leading us to begin schooling in this manner. I was intimidated and worried that I couldn't do it. We began 2nd grade doing school classically. Britton, was really learning and growing much more than the previous year. It was beautiful. However, I still had some old feelings of inadequacy. I was not trained classically, yet I was trying to teach my children in that way. I had great books that lead me and helped me, but I felt I needed some help. Keith and I began praying again and the Lord answered! He walked us right into a seminar at the state homeschooling convention. The seminar was called "Classical Conversations." We really thought this would be a seminar that just taught us more on educating our children classically. Boy, were we wrong. It blew us a way. Classical conversations is a christian community, that school together 1 day a week classically, and then go home and build upon what they learned on that day.Parents and children do school together with a tutor training us both. This was exactly what I needed! So, we took all the information in, prayed about it, and here we are on our first day of schooling with CC:








The first day went better than I expected. My kids are learning things that I never dreamed they could learn. I feel like I am finally learning things that I should have learned in high school! My kids are walking around the house singing Latin, and loving it!
I love that we serve a God who not only calls us to do bigger things than ourselves, but gives us the tools to do what he's calling us to do too! I cried out to him on behalf on my children, and he answered. We serve such a great, great God! I'm looking forward to watching my children grow and learn this year. I feel the Lord is nudging me to start a new CC in my own city. I'm looking forward to see the doors He opens to make that a possibility. I know that I can not do it without Him!
Here is some video of Chesney's first presentation:


Here is a clip of them practicing their memory work. This is the history timeline they are learning:


You can learn more about this great christian community at:
www.classicalconversations.com

Cade's prayers

God bless Mommy, Daddy,ummm.. Mr. Sasha, Caroline, Mrs Bobbie, ummm... Mrs Mewinda, Papaws lake,Nana's beach, my car's,my helmet, Britton, Chesney, Mommy's car, my light,
"Mommy that's my light!". To which I say, "Yes, Cade it is, keep praying sweetie." Oh, Britton, Chesney, Cade, Cade, Amen.

A $ Lesson

Today was a fun school day! We played money. Yeah, we played. They learned so much, it was our funnest day of school yet. Man, I love homeschooling! Im so thankful the Lord called us to do this. I would've never chosen this path for myself, but I'm so thankful the Lord knew better than me!

Here is our makeshift store:


Cade learned that you must have $ to buy stuff :D
Chesney learned the differences in a penny, nickel, dime and quarter. She also learned some basic principles of buying.
Britton practiced subtracting and adding money.

We used this great play $ from Melissa and Doug


All in all a successful day of learning and enjoyable too!

Super Dad!

The definition of a Super Dad is Keith Best! While we have all been putrid this week he has worked from home, cooked all meals, done all the laundry and dishes, cleaned a lot of puke and poop,and taken all the night duty care-giving on his own. I'm amazed at this man! So thankful he loves us the way he does! His service to us is truly a testament to his love for Jesus. Honey, I love you! Words seem so insufficient! Thank you for everything you do for us and especially the way you love us all, even when we are pretty unlovely!

3 little monkey's

Three little monkey's sick in the bed.
One woke up with dry puke on his head.
The other woke up saying he feels bad.
The third little monkey just looks real sad!

Mr. Breadman, my new BFF!

So, my good friend Laura told me she made bread in 1hr start to finish! This I have to try! Time has been my nemesis in this bread making adventure, so an hour would be a huge victory against that nemesis. I gave it a try. Takes less than 10 minutes to mix up the batch in the bread machine. Set the machine for the super rapid bread baking cycle and then wallah homemade bread in an hour.

No, it's not pretty, but the texture is perfect! Soft,and just right! The two downfalls: a hole in the bottom of the loaf, and the huge mushroom top.




I really haven't found anything creative with the two bottom pieces that have a hole. However the top of the mushroom is incredibly soft. When sliced sideways, it's like a nice dinner bread. It is devoured by my little ones while warm.









I have to take a moment to apologize to my hubs! He bought this breadmachine 8 or 9 years ago. I huffed and puffed because I hate additional appliances and I can not stand a cluttered counter-top. The bread machine is big and ugly. I really didn't want it in my kitchen. It's been stored for years because Keith would not let me get rid of it. Sweet Wendy encouraged me to pull it out and let the bread machine do the kneading on the knead only cycle.Reluctantly I did it only because my Kitchenaid mixer was not doing a good job at kneading for me.
The kneading in the bread machine was perfect. I never ventured out to try and cook my bread in this machine. It was just for kneading! Now that I've baked my bread in this machine, and it's turned out wonderful 6 times in a row! I'm hooked! Honey, please forgive me! Mr. Breadman, I'm so sorry for my snobbishness toward you! I will never turn my back on you again. Jesus, thank you for hearing my prayer at the beginning of this year and helping me to find a way to bake bread that my family will eat!!!
The recipe:

2 1/2 cups wheatberries (fleshly ground)
1 cup of all purpose white flour
2 T of wheat gluten
1 1/4t salt
2 T of breadmachine yeast
2-3 T of honey
12 - 13 oz of warm water
2 T of canola oil

Grind your wheat berries. Then add enough white flour to make a total of 4 cups of flour. I add my 2 T of wheat gluten to this mixture, then make a whole in this mixture and scoop my 2T of yeast in that whole. (All of this is in my Vitamix container, you could use any bowl for this mixture). Then I go to my new BFF, Mr. Breadman. First I put the water, salt, oil, and honey in the machine and then I start the super rapid cycle. Then I add the flour mixture little at a time, until it's completely incorporated and turned into a dough ball. It's very important to add it little at a time, like a 1/2 cup or so. Then close your machine and let your BFF do all the work for you. In 1 hr you will have a GREAT loaf of bread. Take it out of the machine and let it rest on the counter top for an hour, until cool, or eat hot, YUM!